Blue Christmas
by cheri1
Summary: 10.2/Rose. It's nearly Christmastime and the clone Doctor is still trying to adjust to life with Rose. While traveling in the newly grown TARDIS, it slips into the Doctor's universe and the clone and Rose find themselves fighting for their lives. FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is another joint fanfic between Carol and Me. This one has nothing to do with the Alanverse. This is a different Rose/Clone story.

Chapter One

Christmastime. A time for family and friends to gather together and have fun and be merry. At least it was for most people. For the half human Doctor, it was another uncomfortable holiday that he'd rather pass up. Even more so now that he was living under the same roof as Jackie Tyler. A woman who was slowly and surely turning his life into a living hell and all because of the sin of being born. Both she and her husband, Pete, made no secret about his dislike for both him and his counterpart. They were angry at the original Doctor for abandoning him here and angry at him for actually following Rose home and supposedly unconvincing and uprooting their life by sharing the same space as them. The only bright spots in his life so far had been Rose and her little brother, Tony. Both of them showed him love and made his strange life bearable. The other bright spot was the piece of coral the Doctor had given him as a sort of consolation gift for dumping him out the door with Rose. Rose, as eager to get back into space and time as he was, smuggled him and it into Torchwood one day on the premise of taking him on a tour. They had taken Donna's suggestion on how to speed up the growth of the TARDIS and using his limited intelligence, which was still superhuman despite the half humanity, he managed to enhance the growth of the TARDIS even more so it would only take a few months rather than years. Rose had put the coral in her room against the back wall and using a key, kept the door locked so Jackie and Pete wouldn't stumble onto it. Given the fact she kept her door locked anyway to keep her nosy three year old brother from breaking and getting into anything, neither Jackie nor Pete suspected they were growing a TARDIS in there. It had been almost five months now since that day on the beach and the TARDIS was finally ready. They kept calm in front of Jackie and Pete, rejoicing only when they were sure no one was looking.

At the moment, Rose was upstairs having a shower while Jackie helped wash up the dishes and Pete read the newspaper in the living room. The Doctor was sitting in the library, a large room that held hundreds of books. It had quickly become his favorite room in the house and most of the time he was in there in the big leather high backed chairs in front of the roaring fire in the fireplace curled up with a good book. But today he was staring out one of the large windows at the snow which was falling slowly outside. It was nearly dark, the sun had nearly set below the horizon and the Doctor found his spirits sinking as well. He hated being in the mansion, he hated being trapped, he hated that Rose was stuck with him rather than the man he suspected she really wanted. She had never said that to him but he lost count of the number of times he would pass by her closed door at night and hear her softly weeping inside and he knew what she was weeping about. It made him loathe himself with a passion and he frequently wished he had died along with Davros so the Doctor wouldn't have been tempted to leave her in a place she didn't wanna be with a man she didn't fully love.

He stared out the window, lost in thought so he was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Blast, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten ya," Rose said, stepping back.

He smiled at her.

"Nah, it's alright. I was just thinking," he said, trying to be cheerful even thought he felt the opposite at the moment.

"'Bout what?" Rose said as he turned his face back towards the window.

He grinned.

"'Bout grabbing your mother, carrying her outside, throwing her down in the snow, rolling her up into a snowball and making a snowman outta her," he said.

He chuckled when Rose lightly swatted his head.

"Behave," she said to him.

"I am behaving, it's that lot that's causin' trouble," the Doctor muttered to himself.

"Please don't do this."

"Don't do what, Rose?" the Doctor asked innocently.

"Don't start again; I don't want another fight, Doctor."

"I'm not fighting. I'm telling you the truth in a very calm and rational way," the Doctor said, looking at her. "I am behaving. Pete and Jackie are the ones who initiate the fights around here, not me."

"They're trying to adjust, Doctor. They need time to get used to ya."

"And in the time they're getting used to me, they're gonna continue to make my life hell then?"

Rose sighed and slumped into another high backed chair across from him. Her head lowered to her hands and she shook it as the Doctor's heart filled to the brim with guilt. He got up and knelt on the floor next to her.

"Forgive me," he pleaded. "Please. I…I want to get along. I'm trying so hard, Rose. I'll try even harder; just don't give up on me."

"I just wish the arguments would end," Rose said into her hands. "I'm tired of the people I love at war with each other. Especially since it's almost Christmas now."

As she kept her head in her hands, she suddenly sensed the Doctor getting up. She looked up and saw him leaving the room, head bent over, shoulders slumped and she knew that he was blaming himself again. She leaped up and ran to him.

"No, wait, please," she said, getting in front of him. "Please don't do this. Don't go off to your room again and shut the door on me. Talk to me."

A sad smile appeared on the Doctor's face again before it faded back into the dull, tired look he usually wore.

"I can't be him," he finally said.

Rose frowned.

"Wha?" she said.

"I can't be him, Rose. I can't be the other Doctor."

Rose was completely confused.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked.

"It has to do with everything," the Doctor said. "It has to do with the fact that I was left here to be a sort of pet for you along with being a shag buddy. You want me to be him and I can't be him because I'm not the Doctor, not that Doctor at any rate."

"Is that all you think you are, a pet?" Rose said.

"What else would I be? I know where your heart lies, Rose, and it's not with me. I was there. I heard you. But he's not you. I heard that come right from your lips and you know what? Bang on, I'm not him. I'm some kind of freakish Halfling that's been sentence for some crime I have yet to work out. Why am I being punished anyway? For saving all of creation from a deranged madmen and his pepper pot soldiers? I had the guts to do what he could not and I get condemned for it. Did he want Davros to win? Did he want the Daleks to spread out all over the sodding universe and start killing again? Why am I the one in the wrong when the universe, that universe, is safe now? I don't understand, Rose. I'm sorry, but I seriously doubt if you can fix me the way you fixed him. I think I'm a lost cause so I won't trouble you any further, good night."

"No, please," Rose said, grabbing his arms and forcing him to stop. "Doctor, I'm sorry, I'm sorry if you think I'm looking at the other Doctor whenever I look at you."

"I know you're looking at him. I can hear you crying at night in your bed, Rose. I know it's him you want."

Rose glared at him.

"I'm crying because you don't understand that I'm trying to have a relationship with you when all you wanna do is play the martyr," she said. "I know you're not the Doctor, that's why I'm trying to fall in love with you, but It's a little hard to do that when you go to bed at night, shut your door and lock it. I'm crying because I don't have a clue how to cheer you up and make you see that I do love you. I'm sorry my parents are mistreating you but they're having to adjust to this as well. Everyone has to adjust to this situation, Doctor, not just you."

"Shoulda died then," the Doctor said in a barely audible voice.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Rose said. "Because I have a feeling it was you being a martyr again."

The Doctor glared at him.

"Yes, Rose, that's it, I'm a fucking martyr! Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go to my room and shut the door and be even more of a martyr!"

"No, wait!" Rose said as he jerked out of her grasp.

She got in front of him again and he sighed angrily.

"Please, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," Rose said.

He sighed.

"I'm tired of sorrys, I'm tired of me and everyone else crying, I'm tired of trying to be the Doctor, I'm tired of living, I'm tired of life. I'm sleepy and I really would like to just go to bed and dream. I'm sorry if I'm being a martyr but I don't wanna be here, especially around Christmastime."

"Then let's go somewhere," Rose said, taking a hold of his arm. "The TARDIS is finished now, yeah? Let's use it and get outta here for awhile before we both go insane and do something we'll regret."

The Doctor lowered his eyes to the floor while Rose, tears brimming in her eyes, stroked his cheek.

"Where would we go?" he finally asked.

"Anywhere. Just somewhere where we can be alone and work this out," Rose said to him as she rubbed his cheek. "I want to be with you. I want a relationship with you, you as in you, not the other Doctor. Please, let's just go, okay?"

Rose kissed his cheek while the Doctor stared at the floor. He silently debated whether or not to go along with Rose's idea, thinking that perhaps it would be better to just leave her completely and spare them both the future heartbreak when he didn't measure up to the man she loved. Not only that but he would age and grow wrinkly and old and ugly and he suspected someday she would realize that and find someone else that fit her ideal of the perfect man. He felt like a worthless copy, a shadow of a great man and there was no way in hell he could ever live up to him, much less please Rose. Still…the thought of being able to escape the hell that was the Tyler household appealed to him and he thought that perhaps if he got into the TARDIS and flew her, his spirits would lift again and perhaps he and Rose…

He stopped himself there. He wasn't going to get his hopes up just yet. He needed to be cautious and take things slow since the last thing he wanted was to get his heart broken, the only heart he had now. Slowly, he nodded as Rose waited patiently for him to answer.

"Okay, we'll go somewhere," he said with not much enthusiasm.

He could see that Rose was a bit shocked at his tone of voice but after all that had happened, he couldn't be the bouncy, bubbly Doctor who was just rip roaring to go inside the TARDIS and take off for parts unknown. Not yet, anyway. Rose nodded and gave his hand a squeeze. She kissed his cheek and then his ear.

"I love you," she whispered into it.

The Doctor nodded and accepted a hug from Rose, giving her a friendly pat on the back before taking her hand and following her out the door towards her bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The snow fell outside the window while Lucy Saxon stood by the window and ice danced off the metal that crisscrossed the glass. After the assignation of her husband, Harry Saxon, the authorities decided that it was in her best interest for her to be committed to a private mental hospital. She tugged at the sleeves of the top of her hospital pajamas as she thought back to her time on the Valiant and how she and Harry had taken over the world.

"_No, he wasn't Harry. He was the Master," _she thought as she remembered how rough he was when he made love to her and how he loved to play sex games with her. His favorite game was when he would tie her up and would ram his cock down her throat, nearly choking her. _"Then everything changed."_

She had known about his history with the Doctor but she was gob smacked by what Harry did to him after he changed the Doctor into an old man. The Doctor was now Harry's sex toy and she grew jealous because Harry spent his time with him instead of her.

"Damn him!" she shouted as she pounded her fists against the glass and the glass shattered, cutting the sides of her hands.

"No, Lucy, you know that is a bad thing!" Derek Carter said, grabbing hold of her hands. He was the intern that always treated her like a two year old and Lucy hated him.

"Let go of me!" she shouted as she fought to get free and he shouted for the nurse.

"Take it easy, Lucy, Nurse Waynewright is…" he said then grunted after she kicked him in the balls and he let go of her hands, crumpling to the floor. He moaned as Lucy looked around then darted out of the room and he reached out a shaking had toward her. "Lu-lucy!"

* * *

"_You cut my hand off."_

That is what he has said to the Sycorax leader during their swordfight and he wondered if it would have been better if he fallen off that ship instead. Not really caring about what he was doing, the Doctor slumped down into the jump seat and looked at the rotor moving behind the glass. A part of him grumbled about wanting to strangle Jack for finding his lost hand and preserving it, yet another part was glad he did because his clone was not only able to save Donna but was able to save the TARDIS as well.

"_And how do you repay him? You toss him out the door like he was covered in adipose," _a voice inside his mind said and he shook his head.

"He committed genocide!" he growled.

"_So did you."_

"What are you talking about?"

"_Gallifrey."_

"That was different! I had no choice!"

"_How is it different?"_

"I don't know. All I know is he didn't have to kill them!"

"_Are you saying that you would have spared Davros after everything he did?"_

"I begged him to come with me. He didn't want to come."

"_Because he was an evil, sadistic shit and wanted you to spend the rest of your lives thinking he was right! That everyone that ever traveled with you or had the dumb luck to meet you was nothing more than soldiers and cannon fodder. No matter if it was Susan, Ian, Barbara, Jamie, Zoe, Liz, __Sarah Jane__, Leela, Adric, Romana, Grace, Jack, Martha, River, Donna or Rose. They were just cogs in your never ending war machine. Anyway, let's go back to your brother, shall we?"_

"He isn't my brother! He is my clone!"

"_Ah, now I see. He's just like Jenny."_

"Do NOT bring Jenny into this!"

"_Why? It's the same thing, isn't it? You can't bring yourself to feel anything for him because he was something that shouldn't exist in the first place. Just like Jenny."_

"No, Jenny was…"

"_?!" _the voice asked and he sighed, rubbing his face in his hands.

"She was my daughter," he said softly.

"_Can you say that a little louder? I didn't quite catch that."_

"SHE WAS MY DAUGHTER!" the Doctor shouted and his voice echoed around the control room.

"_See, that wasn't so hard, was it. Now, let's try this. Say "He is my brother.". Come on, I know you can say it!"_

"Fuck off!" the Doctor shouted as he placed his feet on the top of the console and winced while the pain from slamming his feet down arched up his legs to his back.

"_Gee, I bet that hurt."_

"Shut up!" the Doctor shouted as he sighed and stood up, walking toward the hallway. "I must be losing my mind. I am arguing with myself."

"_And you're !" _the voice said in a sing song tone and he growled, walking down the hallway.

* * *

The door opened while Rose led the Doctor into her bedroom and he smiled, looking around. Mostly everything was pink and white and a pink duvet with a white ruffle was on the bed. The TARDIS was sitting in one corner as he smiled and noticed that the outside of the TARDIS looked like a blue police box. Both of them knew that the chameleon circuit worked and they could make her look like anything they wanted but they both felt that she should look like the Doctor's TARDIS. His mind flashed back to her bedroom on the TARDIS and the time they had a pillow fight which caused the pillows to explode, sending feathers everywhere and he half smiled.

"Oi, did I just see you smile?" Rose asked as the tip of her tongue slid out from between her teeth and he swallowed hard.

"Uh, no, not really, I was just thinking about something," he said as he walked to the bed then stopped, looking over his shoulder at her. "So, uh, where do you want to go?"

"I don't care," she said when she walked to him and he backed up, tripping over the foot of the bed and flopped onto his back. She giggled as he laid there looking like an over turned turtle and he glared at her.

"This isn't funny," he said.

"Yeah, it is. You look like a turtle on its back," she said as she took his hand and helped him stand up. "You ok? Didn't hurt anything, did you?"

"I'm not that fragile," he said with a slight smile and she smiled back. Moving closer, she took his hands as he sighed and loved how her hand fit so easily into his.

"Perfect fit, eh" she asked as she swung his arms side to side and he nodded. He moved closer when his lips brushed hers and he inhaled her scent. She smelt of strawberries and shampoo and he felt his single heart thumping hard in his chest. He jumped as she placed her hand against his chest and she softly smiled, looking into his eyes. "Going a bit fast, aren't you?"

"I guess. I better be careful because I don't have a spare heart like he does," he said as she moved back and threw her hands into the air.

"Oh, for fuck sake, I was trying to be romantic and you go and bring him into it!"

"Well, that's who you were flirting with, wasn't it?!"

"No, I was flirting with you!"

"Rose, are you alright?" Jackie's voice asked when she opened the door and looked at them with a stunned look on her face. "What is THAT doing in here?!"

"I asked him to come in," Rose said while Jackie walked to the Doctor and placed her hands on her waist.

"Well, I will have none of it. You are to keep those alien hands off of her, you understand me?!" she said as he nodded then walked out of the room and she slammed the door, looking back at Rose. "What were you thinking?!"

"I want thinking about trying to have a relationship with him!" Rose shouted.

"Are you insane?! He's the reason we nearly got killed! Him and the Doctor!"

"Mum, the Doctor gave him to me because he knew we could never be together. I can grow old with him and, hopefully, a family."

"Oh, no, there is NO way I will allow to mate with that…that…that...THING!"

"He isn't a thing!"

"He isn't human either! He's some sort of genetic experiment!"

"Get out," Rose whispered and balled her hands into fists.

"What?"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Rose shouted when Jackie gasped and placed a hand over her heart.

"You don't talk to me like that, Young Lady!"

"I'll talk to you any bloody way I please! I risked tearing TWO worlds apart in order to get back to the man I love! Yes, Mum, I said a man! He is a man and I love him! My life meant nothing without him beside me! I nearly died a few times and had to sacrifice a woman who became my friend in order to put one universe right. Do you know what happened in that universe? HE DIED! He drowned because he didn't give a shit anymore because I was gone! He fucking gave up! When I found the right universe, do you know what he did?! He ran toward me like some love sick teenager! Neither one of us knew about that dalek nor did we care! All we wanted to do was hug and kiss and be with each other! When he got shot, I nearly died! I thought I had gone to the wrong universe again and messed up! Donna, Jack and I brought him into the TARDIS but it was too late. He was going to regenerate and the man that I fell in love with was going to change again! He knew that and didn't want me to go through that shit all over again. So, he takes all that energy and he tosses it into his severed hand, not knowing if it was going to help or not! I am bloody glad that it did work! Fine, he went off and destroyed the daleks but what was he supposed to do?! Let Davros destroy everything?! It wasn't like he could sit down with that sadistic fuck and talk things over a cuppa tea! Now, I do admit that I was confused when we were on that beach but I was also pissed off! He brought me back here without even asking me what I wanted! He just wanted me to take his clone and have a life with him! He isn't him but I love him as much, ever more so, than the Doctor!"

"You must be joking!"

"No, I'm not! I love him and want to spend the rest of my life with him!"

"Knew I should have had Pete lock him up the moment we got home."

"What? You were going to lock him up?"

"Yeah, your father knew he was dangerous and said that Torchwood was the best place for him."

"And what were they going to do him? Cut him into little pieces?

"I don't know. He said something about, well, giving him what he deserved," Jackie said as Rose thought for a few minutes then her eyes went wide and tears trickled down her cheeks. "Rosie?"

"I do NOT fucking believe this! Why did he let me have the dimension cannon if he hated him that much?"

"Because I asked him to," Jackie whispered and Rose walked to her, going face to face.

"You what?" she asked, trying calm her pounding heart.

"I asked him to. I never thought you would find him let alone get back together with him. My god, Rose, you were nearly sucked into a void because of him! If I hadn't begged Pete to go get you, I would have lost you!"

"So, instead of you losing me, he had to and suffered for it! I promised to never leave him like everyone else has! He needs someone to keep him grounded and now he's off somewhere all alone with no one to hold his hand!"

"Rosie, Love, I…"

"Don't say another word! Just get out and leave me alone!" she shouted as Jackie nodded and left the room. Lying on the bed, Rose sobbed as the tears rolled down her face and her breath caught in her chest. She didn't notice the door opening as the Doctor walked inside the room and headed for the TARDIS. He half smiled when he snapped his fingers and the doors opened and he looked at the bed. Sighing, he walked to the bed when he slid his arms under Rose and slid her off the bed. She placed her head on his shoulder as they headed inside the TARDIS and the doors closed behind them.

"Rose, I'm…" Jackie said when she walked back inside the room then gasped as the sound of the TARDIS' engines filled the air and the TARDIS dematerialized before her eyes.

"No!" she shouted when Pete and Tony ran into the room and she sank to the floor.

"Jacs, what happened?" Pete asked when he knelt down and held her in his arms.

"They're gone," she whispered as she looked at the spot where the TARDIS had been and tears trickled down her cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Once the TARDIS was away from the mansion, the clone Doctor instantly relaxed as the old familiar sounds of the TARDIS filled his ears and put him at ease. He had been a bit hesitant about the controls at first, fearing that he had lost his ability to pilot it but once he realized that knowledge was intact, he confidently danced around it, flipping switches and hitting buttons. Unlike his counterparts TARDIS, this TARDIS didn't have doodads in place of buttons and switches. The console was neatly arranged, although like the outside, he had fixed the inside so it resembled the other console room. The jump seat they had was newer too and made of black leather rather than tan. Other than that, it looked and ran like the original.

Rose was sitting on the jump seat behind him, visibly upset from the argument with her mother and the Doctor walked back over to her after he finished taking the TARDIS into the vortex. Guilt flooded his mind. Not only had her mother upset her, he had as well and he sighed as he sat down.

"I want to apologize," he said.

Rose wiped her wet cheeks and gave him a confused look.

"For what?" she said.

"For my behavior. For what I said and did. I didn't mean to upset you; it's just that I need to know where I fit in, not only in your life but in the overall scheme of things. I s'pose the other Doctor was on to something when he said I was born in the midst of battle. I basically hit the ground with my feet running and haven't had time to catch my breath and figure out who I am and what I'm here for. And on top of that, I'm making your life hell, Rose. So I'm sorry, truly sorry."

Rose took his hand.

"I do understand, Doctor. I understand that you are trying to figure things out but I also need you to understand that I do love you and I also want to make this relationship work because we're all we have now."

"But will you love me even when I do age and start to wither away?"

"Will you?" she countered.

He thought for a moment before he answered.

"I will but I do admit it'll be hard watching you grow old, knowing that you'll die and knowing that the same fate awaits me now," he said, looking at his hands. "I remember what it was like to be a true Time Lord and knowing that I won't regenerate, I wish that Donna had taken those memories along with what she gained of my mind."

Rose ached for him and she inched closer as she stroked his hair.

"I love you," she said. "And I want to grow old with you and be there for you if you'll be there for me. I know it'll be scary being human after knowing what it was like to be a Time Lord but this way we can be together without this whole Time Lord curse being in our way. You mean the world to me, Doctor. You have almost from the moment I first met you and I'm willing to overlook the fact that one day you'll have grey hair and wrinkles if you'll do the same for me."

The Doctor quietly considered that and then smiled as he imagined Rose as an elderly person and what that might look like. He turned his face towards her, the same grin still plastered on his face.

"What?" Rose asked warily.

"Just imagining the future when I'll have to change your adult nappies."

Rose raised her eyebrow as he sniggered.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you," she said, poking his side. "I might have to change yours."

"Nah, I'll always have perfect bladder control," he said.

"You seem happier now," Rose said.

The Doctor considered that and nodded.

"I feel better. I think it's because I'm in here, not trapped on Earth," he said. "My counterpart was unfair to us but at least he did give us this coral before he left. I think he knew that we would go berserk without it."

"And I think he was spot on seeing as how you have been moody and depressed ever since you got back to London."

"Rose, I…"

"I know…" Rose said, putting her hand to his mouth, "I know you're trying to adjust and my mum and dad weren't treating you fairly. You don't have to tell me it again, yeah? Just be happy. You're away from them now and we're together."

She took her hand away and replaced it with her lips. The Doctor hungrily returned it, sighing as he hoped that what they had now would last until their deaths. They finished up by touching foreheads as Rose put her hand on the back of his neck and rubbed it.

"Do you see that I love you, Doctor?" Rose asked.

"Yes," the Doctor whispered back.

"It's not a lie, it's not a trick. I'm not imagining the other Doctor in your place. It's you I want, alright?"

He nodded and Rose kissed his forehead.

"Just cheer up, please? We're away from Earth and we can go anywhere we like in time and space now."

The Doctor smiled at that and nodded. He took her hands.

"I want you to know that I won't abandon you like he did. I will never leave you, Rose, I swear that to you," he said, almost pleading with her to believe him. "I will protect you with every fiber of my being and if that means I have to die to do it then so be it."

Tears came to Rose's eyes and she nodded.

"And I pledge the same to you, my Doctor," she said, stroking his cheek.

The Doctor's heart soared at that and he put her hand against his chest.

"And I swear, Rose Tyler…that I will not say ewww when I have to change your shitty adult nappies."

"Oi!" Rose said, swatting his head as he laughed. "Oh? Well, I promise I won't run from the bed when you let one rip and it smells like prunes."

"Now, you'll love my pruny farts," he said.

Rose smiled and hugged him tightly, thankful that at last he was cheering up and finding a reason to smile. Even though she still missed the Doctor, she realized that he had given her a wondrous gift. A rare treasure that she would be a fool to throw away. She realized with a tinge of sadness that the Doctor probably never would have loved her completely and yet, here was a version of him who not only could, but would with all of his heart and she knew now that the universe had given her a rare chance at true happiness, a chance she knew she had to take which was why she was glad they were alone now. They needed space and time to bond so she could be just as close to this Doctor as she was to the other one.

As for the clone, he still had his nagging doubts that pricked at his mind, doubts he was trying to put to rest now that Rose was here with him. He knew that it would be awhile before he fully exorcised those fears and doubts from his mind but he was willing to do everything he could to make it happen. The last thing he wanted was to drive the woman he loved away for good. As he held her close to him, he glanced down at his red t-shirt, blue trousers and red trainers and had another thought.

"Rose, can you excuse me for a moment," he said.

"Sure."

"I'll be back in a tick. I wanna check out my wardrobe room," he said, getting up.

Rose nodded and blew him a kiss. The Doctor smiled and blew one back and winked at her before he headed out of the console room. He walked down the labyrinthine passages until he came to the winding stairs that led up to his wardrobe room. He climbed the metal stairs and reached the first floor where the men's clothes were kept. Above him on the next level were women's clothes, above that were children's clothes, just in case, and above that were accessories. He paused a moment and sighed. There was still a hint of the TARDIS inside his human mind, not as strong as it had been when he had a full Time Lord mind but he was thankful it was still strong enough that he could feel her and communicate with her if he had to.

"TARDIS, I was wondering if you had something similar to what I normally wear. Do you remember?"

The TARDIS grunted. There was a flash and on a table near the back of the room there appeared a brown pin striped suit with the white shirt and black tie along with a blue pin striped suit and a trench coat similar to the one the other Doctor wore. Beside that was a pair of white high top trainers. The Doctor nodded and thanked his ship as he walked over and examined everything. He picked up the brown jacket and touched it, memories flooding his mind of his counterpart's adventures and hopes that he would have adventures just like them. He sat it down and touched each item of clothing in turn. He had chosen the blue suit, t-shirt and trainers in a rush since the TARDIS had been in need of repair and Donna had been on the verge of having a conniption fit after seeing him naked. The Doctor had scoffed at that. How else was one born? Fully clothed? Of course he was gonna be naked. A sad smile spread over his face when he thought of her. His Donna. His brilliant Donna, gone forever, unless she had a counterpart here. He hoped nothing had happened to her after she left with the Doctor, although he had a sickening feeling in the pit of his gut that being a human with a Time Lord brain was going to have devastating consequences on her and it would only be remedied by taking away all of her…

He shook his head, not wanting to think about that and instead undressed so he could put on the shirt, brown suit, coat and trainers. He finished dressing and walked over to his full length mirror to take a look. Memories of doing this same thing once before right after he regenerated surfaced when he stared at his reflection. So many memories, memories that were his but at the same time weren't his. It brought back that feeling of being an oddity, of being not quite…right. He felt like he was an actor playing the part of someone else as he stared at the man in the mirror and he wondered if he would ever be able to shake that feeling for good.

Satisfied with his appearance, he put his hands in his pockets and walked back down the steps, back towards the console room. As he walked towards it, he suddenly felt a violent lurch and he was thrown to the ground as he heard Rose scream in the distance. He tried to stand up to get back to her, but once again there was another lurch and he grunted as he stumbled and fell to the grating again. He finally managed to get to his feet and with his hands on the wall, found enough support to slowly make it back to the console room. But when he was almost there, the shuddering and rocking stopped and there was calm again.

"Rose?" he said as he took his hands off the wall and ran the rest of the way. "Rose? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said, getting up from the floor. "I held on to the metal bar under the seat and…"

She noticed the Doctor's outfit for the first time and was momentarily shocked at seeing the clothes the other Doctor wore before she found her voice again.

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"Dunno," the Doctor said, walking past her to his computer. "I'm gonna land on Earth and try to figure out what went wrong. Hold on, I'm heading for London."

___________

(Meanwhile inside the other Doctor's TARDIS…)

The TARDIS could hardly believe what she was hearing. The Doctor, in despair and grief, had just told her that he would never again accept any companions into his TARDIS. The TARDIS knew her friend and knew that this was the last thing he needed to do. She loved him dearly, always had and always would, but when he had first met Donna and was leaving her behind, he had the door open and she heard Donna tell him he needed someone and she wholeheartedly agreed with that. There had been many instances when he had been alone in the TARDIS over the centuries and she had witnessed a few instances where he had teetered dangerously close to the edge of insanity, especially after the destruction of Gallifrey and his companions had helped to calm and soothe him and keep him on an even keel, especially Rose Tyler. She had rejoiced when Rose had returned to her since the Doctor had been grieving for her loss and had been steadily drifting back to the edge of insanity without her. She had personally witnessed it when he meted out his punishment to The Family for what they did and forced him to do and she had been horrified at the callous and cold way he had treated them. She thought with Rose's return, he would once again go back to the happy, jovial self she knew when they traveled together. But to her horror, instead of keeping her with him, he abandoned her in another universe with his newly created clone, a clone which might have also helped him since she knew after scanning Donna's mind that there was no way she could survive being part Time Lord. After hearing this newest announcement from her friend, the TARDIS had telepathically tried to speak to him and convince him that being alone wasn't a good thing but he was none of it.

"I can't take it anymore, TARDIS. I keep losing people and I can't take another loss. It's better if I go it alone."

The TARDIS kept silent after that, knowing that he had made up his mind and there would be no swaying him. So she silently tried to think of a way to convince him otherwise while he went to take a shower. She decided to do a scan to see if there was a suitable place she could take him and that's when she picked up the energy signature. She recognized it immediately since it matched her own. She knew that the Doctor had given a piece of herself to the clone so they could have a TARDIS of their own. Was it possible that they had somehow found a way back into this universe? Hardly daring to believe, the TARDIS pinpointed the energy signature and headed towards it. As she flew towards it, she figured that she would land far enough away that the Doctor would not see the other TARDIS but that he would be close enough that hopefully he would find it again and then find the other Doctor and Rose and she hoped that somehow that meeting would lead to a much needed reconciliation between the Doctor and his clone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Have you found her yet?" Nurse Agnes Waynewright asked while the interns searched the rooms for any sign of Lucy and shook their heads when they couldn't find her. "Well, keep searching. She had to be here somewhere!"

Nurse Waynewright was there the first day the authorities brought Lucy to Merryview Asylum and could tell from the beginning that Lucy was dangerous. There was something in Lucy's eyes that made her nerves tingle and she had kept a close eye on her.

"If she gets out…" she muttered when one of the nurses came by with a laundry cart and she gently grabbed onto the nurse's arm, stopping her. "Hold on, I need to check that." Looking through the soiled sheets, she nodded and the nurse headed around the corner. The wheels of the cart squeaked while the nurse walked down the hallway when she stopped and looked at the cart then at the room to her left.

"Lucy?" she whispered when Lucy came out of the room and smiled at her.

"Oh, Frannie, you are a life saver," Lucy said, hugging Nurse Frances M'Cullen and Frannie nodded, looking down the hallway.

"Just get in there before someone sees us," Frannie said, pointing to the cart.

"Oh, I don't think so," Lucy said as she punched Frannie in the face and Frannie fell to the floor. Sighing, Lucy dragged her into the next room and closed the door. A few minutes later, Lucy walked out of the room, wearing Frannie's uniform and she fanned herself with the key card. She walked down the hallway when she came to the fire exit door and looked at the key card pad next to the door. Sliding the keycard into the slot, she giggled as the door clicked open and walked into the stairwell. Closing the door, she walked down the stairs when she came to the exit door and slid the keycard into the slot. The door clicked open as she walked out into the alley and the door closed behind her. Nodding, she turned left when she started walking down the alley and her laughter echoed in the air.

* * *

The soft sound of engines filled the air when the TARDIS materialized and blew the snow around in a tiny whirlwind. The tiny blue light blinked a few times when the door opened and Rose walked outside, looking around. She wore a light blue parka with a white fur trimmed hood, snow boots and gloves and she lowered the hood and smiled at the snow that had started falling.

"Are you coming?" she asked, looking back inside the TARDIS and the Doctor walked outside. He brushed the tan coat back when he realized that he was freezing and sighed. He walked back inside the TARDIS then came back out wearing a black parka over the tan coat, a black knit cap on his head, gloves and a black and gray scarf around his neck.

"I hate this. I'm used to just wearing my suit and jacket no matter how cold or hot it was. Now I'm cold and have to wear layers," he sighed and she smiled at him.

"Awwwwww, poor baby," she said and he glared at her.

"Well, this looks like London but we need to find out what year it is," he said then took her hand and she wrapped her fingers around his. Turning, he closed the door then locked it, placing the key in his pocket. She giggled when he opened the door where the telephone was as he pushed a few buttons and a little beep filled the air. "What are you giggling at? I don't want anyone to steal her."

"Yeah, like anyone would want to steal a police call box," she said with a smile and he pouted. She moved closer when she kissed his lips and sucked on his lower lip. He moved back as he coughed and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry, you just look so cute when you pout."

"Right," the Doctor said when he started walking and she swung his hand back and forth. They came out of the alley when they started walking down the pavement and looked around. The traffic moved by as they looked in the shop windows and Rose smiled at the Christmas decorations.

"You know what we need to do?" she asked while he looked for a newsstand then looked at her.

"What?"

"We should do some Christmas shopping. I mean this is our first Christmas together," she said as she slid her arm around his and placed her head against his arm. His heart thumped hard in his chest as he thought about spending Christmas with her and pictured a tree lit by fairy lights and decorated in bright decorations near a fireplace and them sipping wine on a fur rug while Christmas music played in the background. "Hello, am I boring you?"

"Eh? No, never, I was just thinking about us doing the whole Christmas thing. Sounds nice," he said as he took the glove off and kissed her hand.

"We could get a small tree and put it in the control room. Oh, and we need to get some decorations and cookies. Can't have Christmas without cookies! Then we could go buy presents and…" she said as he laughed and shook his head.

"How do you expect us to pay for all that? In our rush to get out of the mansion, we forgot to take any money with us," he said and she frowned.

"That never bothered us before. Just use your sonic screwdriver to…" she said then realized that she was talking about the other Doctor and placed her hand over her mouth. "Oh, I am so sorry."

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-ah," he said as he stormed down the pavement and apologized when he accidentally ran into someone. Sighing, she went to catch up with him when she saw him standing near a newspaper stand and he was looking at the paper. She tapped his shoulder as he looked at her and she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"So, what year is it?" she asked softly and he looked at the date.

"It's two thousand and nine," he said, showing her the date.

"Looks like it's only a few days before Christmas," she said as he placed the paper down and walked away. She walked after him when she took his hand but he pulled away from her and walked faster. "Oi, I don't want to chase you all over London. Can we find a place to sit so we can talk?"

"I don't want to talk," he said then sat on a bench and looked at the people going by. Sitting next to him, she placed her hand on his thigh as she looked at him and saw that the cold weather made his freckles stand out on his pale skin. The stubble on his chin made him look even sexier than before and she saw the tiny freckle inside his right ear.

"I never saw an ear freckle before," she teased when she gently stroked it and he shivered, moving his head away. "Come on, I'm sorry. I just got mixed up, is all."

"I know but it still hurts."

"Want to go back to the TARDIS? Maybe she can figure out how we can get some cash," she said as he nodded and stood up. Holding his hand out, he helped her stand as they walked back down the pavement and she placed her head on his arm, making him smile.

* * *

"Honey, I'm hooooooooome!" Lucy said when she opened the door and walked inside the room. Flicking the light switch up, she frowned when she realized that the power had been shut off and carefully walked to the window, opening the curtains. Harry had bought the penthouse in one of London's posh hotels during their time on the Valiant and the doorman was surprised when he saw her. He tipped his hat to her after she went inside the hotel and she smiled at him. The desk clerk nearly choked when she walked up to the desk and asked for the key but he just nodded and handed it to her. She told him not to call the police or she'd tell Harry on him and swore he was going to faint as he assured her that he wouldn't. Walking to the table, she picked up the cordless phone when she pushed the button then frowned, finding that the phone service had been disconnected. "Shit, is everything turned off?"

Shrugging, she walked into the next room when she opened the door and walked into the bedroom. She opened the curtains when she turned and looked at the large four poster bed. It was done in a rich oak wood and a white duvet covered the satin sheets. She walked to the bed when she laid down on it and looked up at the ceiling. She could still feel his hands on her body while they made love and slowly moved her hands down her body. Closing her eyes, she could see him kissing her and whispering her name softly in her ear and her hands slid up and down her hips. She felt his lips against her skin as she gasped and felt her clit vibrating inside her. She groaned as the orgasm rolled through her and she grabbed onto the duvet, pulling it out from under the pillows. Feeling the wetness of the cum rolling down her thighs, she breathed hard and fast though her nose as her heart slammed in her chest and she placed her right hand between her breasts, feeling the quick throbbing of her heartbeat.

"Fuck," she said then slowly stood up and looked at the bathroom door. "I need a shower." She went into the bathroom when she stripped out of Frannie's uniform. She walked to the shower when she turned the water on but nothing came out of the showerhead and she sighed. "Great, no water either. Someone is going to pay for this!"

* * *

Rose was stunned when they returned to the TARDIS and found that she had decorated the control room with Christmas decorations and a large tree. The fairy lights twinkled in the dim lights and what looked like a tiny TARDIS with the Doctor and Rose riding on it circled the tree while being pulled by reindeer. She could just hear a high pitched "Wooooooooooooooo-hooooooooo!" as the tiny Doctor waved its arms around and she giggled at the tiny TARDIS doing a loop-de-loop then flew around the room.

"What?" the Doctor said as she slid her arms around his waist and barely felt the TARDIS gently nudging his mind.

"I guess someone's in the holiday spirit," Rose said and he nodded. He ducked as the tiny TARDIS soared over his head and the tiny Doctor and Rose waved at them.

"Yeah, but I don't want to spend Christmas in A & E because I got clobbered by a tiny time machine being towed by tiny reindeer," he said as the tiny TARDIS flew back to the tree and he smiled.

"So, shall we see about our money problem?" she asked when a wallet appeared on the console and he walked to the console, picking the wallet up. Opening it, he sighed as she walked closer and looked at the money. "How much do we have?"

"About four thousand pounds," he said and she whistled. He looked at the ceiling then placed the wallet down and sat on the jump seat. "No offense but how do we know that they'll accept it?"

Rose picked up the wallet then sat on his lap and he placed his arms around her. She opened the wallet as she placed her head on his shoulder and looked at the money.

"Well, it doesn't have Sponge Bob on it or anything. I guess the only way to know if it's real is to go out and spend it," she said and he took the wallet from her.

"Where would you like to go?"

"I am a bit peckish. How about we go get something to eat?"

"Chips?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Chips!" she said as she got off his lap and held her hand out. Smiling, he took her hand as he got up then looked at the rotor and frowned.

"Sorry," he whispered and the TARDIS gently sent love into his mind. Nodding, he placed his arm around Rose and they walked to the door, going outside. The door closed as the fairy lights twinkled in the dim light and soft Christmas music filled the air.

* * *

The Doctor was angry when he realized that the TARDIS had brought him back to Earth and sunk down in the jump seat. He didn't listen as she grumbled in his mind and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, I am not going outside. I don't care if it's Christmas. I don't want to go!" he shouted but she kept grumbling inside his head and he sighed, standing up. He walked to the doors when he turned and glared at the ceiling. "I am NOT going outside because I want to. I'm going out to get away from you!"

Slamming the door open, he walked outside while his tan jacket flapped around his legs then he turned and closed the door. Walking away, he looked back at the TARDIS when he took a key out of his pocket and aimed it at the TARDIS. A low beeping sound filled the air as the tiny blue light flashed and he smiled, placing the key into his pocket. Shrugging, he placed his hands in his pockets as he walked down the pavement and the snow gently fell around him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The clone Doctor and Rose walked hand in hand along the pavement in central London. Rose was busy window shopping, looking in the store windows as they passed by them. The Doctor, on the other hand, was uneasy about something and it took him awhile to work out why. He tugged on Rose's arm and stopped her.

"Rose, have you noticed the sky?" he asked.

Rose shook her head and the Doctor pointed up. She glanced up at the sky and for a moment it didn't register that there were no zeppelins flying above them. Her eyes bulged and she looked back at the Doctor.

"I think all that turbulence we experienced was the TARDIS going through a gap in the fabric of reality and we went across the void into another universe."

"But…the Doctor, other Doctor, said those were all sealed off."

"Yeah," the Doctor said, rubbing his neck, "but the universes are continually getting little tears in it. Most of the time they quickly repair themselves but we were lucky, or unlucky, enough to go through one before it closed."

"So, we're stuck in another universe?" Rose said. "We can't get back to mum and dad and Tony, even if we wanted to?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said. "Rips in the fabric of time and space are unpredictable and you never know when one is gonna happen. We just happened to be near one just like the other TARDIS happened to be near one when it first fell into Pete's World. We'll just have to wait and see if we can locate another rip in time and then try to go through it."

"D'ya think…"

"What, Rose?" he asked when she didn't finish her sentence.

"D'ya think we're back in my original universe now?"

The clone's face darkened.

"If we are, we better make damn sure we don't run into a certain someone or he will find a way to rip open a gap and throw us back."

Rose sighed and took his hand.

"Doctor, please don't start with that," she pleaded. "We were having a lovely time until you found out you might have a chance of running into the original Doctor again. I mean, come on, what are the chances of that? The Doctor's probably somewhere in medieval England right now, jousting or slaying a dragon."

The clone grinned at that.

"That sounds lovely, actually," he said, taking Rose around the middle. "You, half naked and the prisoner of a dragon while I do the whole Saint George routine and be your hero…"

"Ooo, I can see ya being all masculine and slaying a dragon," Rose purred while she ran her finger down his tie.

"Yup, brave dragon slayer, me," he said as he took Rose's hand and walked with her.

As they walked, he tried to reach out and see if he could sense his counterpart. His Time Lord senses weren't as acute anymore, thanks to Donna, but he thought he felt a flicker of mind in his own. But whether he felt it or just imagined he felt it, he couldn't be sure and with silent frustration, he abandoned the task, figuring that if the Doctor was nearby they would either run into him or trouble would soon start that would require his immediate attention. For now, he was content to be with the woman he loved and enjoy the fact that she was happy while she stared into the shop windows.

_______________

To Lucy's immense relief, the money that she had stored in a shoebox in a loose floorboard in her cupboard was still there. She had hidden ten thousand pounds just in case she and Harry ever needed to make a quick exit from England before their plans were ready to be sprung. Luckily, by the time people started to question what they were doing, it had already been too late to stop their plans and Harry had emerged triumphant…at least for a year and then thanks to the Doctor and the bitch, Martha Jones, it had all been ruined. She seethed when she thought of all the times she had urged Harry to kill him because she knew the old codger had something up his sleeve. But Harry apparently liked keeping his trophy alive and intact so he could gloat over him and it cost him dearly in the end. She loved her husband but she knew that one day his vanity and ego would prove to be his undoing. With a reluctant heart she had killed the man she loved but only because he had asked her to do it months beforehand in the off chance that someone did capture him. The surprise on Harry's face when she shot him told her that either he had forgotten about his request or he never really thought she had the guts to pull the trigger. But thanks to her, Harry was not only free from the Doctor; his DNA sample was also safe and sound after she tracked his artron energy signature to a forested area several miles from London where the Doctor had burnt his body on a funeral pyre. She managed to get there just as the ring fell off his finger, a sure sign to her that she was meant to resurrect him at some point in the future, once she was settled in and had taken care of the necessities.

And one of the necessities was food. Harry had used the wealth he acquired to purchase several old buildings and had them converted into warehouses so they could store food, clothing and other items and be self sufficient when the time came for the Toclafane to unleash hell on Earth. She hoped the warehouse that had the food in it hadn't been burglarized so she could get something to eat for later after she'd taken care of getting her electricity and water turned back on.

But before she could do that, she needed to alter her appearance so she had taken a bus into central London to find a beauty salon where she could get her hair cut and dyed a different color. She was still debating what color to dye it when she rounded a corner and caught sight of the Doctor about forty feet away from her across the street. She quickly ducked back around the corner, but the Doctor wasn't even looking her way. In fact, he was talking to some chavvy looking blonde girl who was pointing at a gaudy looking red dress in a shop window. She stuck her head around the corner and narrowed her eyes as she watched the Doctor, who was listening to the blonde woman laughing and joking with a smile on his face. A smile spread over her own face as she realized that this was another sign from God that he was allowing her to get her vengeance on the Doctor for ruining all their plans and forcing her to shoot and kill the man she loved. She cocked an eyebrow when she saw the Doctor take the blonde's hand and give her a kiss on the lips before the two of them walked away.

"Girlfriend, Doctor?" she muttered to herself. "How very interesting and how very fortunate…for me, that is. I think the chav might be of use to me then."

With a smirk, she abandoned all her plans for the afternoon and slowly began to shadow them as they continued to window shop.

________________

After about an hour of walking, chatting and window shopping, the clone Doctor and Rose decided to go and get something to eat. They found a small chippie and went inside, ordering some chips and tea. While they ate, the Doctor held Rose's hand and smiled as he watched the sunlight glinting off her hair.

"Are you happy?" he asked her after about five minutes of silence.

"Yeah, are you?" Rose asked.

"I am now that we're away from Jackie and Pete," he said. "But I don't know how to take the news that we may be back in the original universe and might run into You-Know-Who again."

"Maybe this is fate," Rose said.

"How so?"

"Maybe you were led back here so you and he could settle your differences and be friends…or be brothers."

The Doctor stared at Rose as if she had grown two heads.

"Brothers? With him? You must be joking," he said.

"No, I'm not. Why can't you be brothers? You were created from him."

"Yeah, which would make him my dad and Donna my mum, which is disturbing on so many levels," he said as she laughed.

"Okay, don't think of him as your dad, think of him as your twin brother," she said.

"Rose, the man forced me into another universe and left me there. I don't think he wants me to be his brother."

"But that's because you and him need to have a chat and talk things out and see that you aren't that different and you need each other."

"I…need him?"

"Yes, you do and he needs you. You have this need to be around people, same as him, that's why he always travels with companions and why you wanna be with me. You and him need that interaction and love and friendship. You act like a lone wolf but deep down inside you're insecure and lonely."

The Doctor considered that while he munched on a chip.

"Okay, maybe so, but that doesn't mean that "Daddy" will come rushing back to me with open arms if he sees me. Not to mention I don't know how to contact him, so there."

"The TARDIS was a part of his TARDIS; she can get in contact with him, so there!" Rose said.

He stared at the smug look on her face.

"You're being serious about this, aren't you?" he said.

"I am."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Why? So you can go back with him the moment you see him?"

Rose threw up her hands.

"No! I told ya, I realize now that he won't commit to a relationship like that."

"So I'm the consolation prize then."

Rose sighed and lowered her head to her hands as guilt plagued the Doctor's mind.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I won't say anything more. I'm ruining the lovely day we've been having," he said quickly.

His guilt increased when Rose lifted her head and he saw tears shimmering in her eyes.

"What will it take to get you to understand that I love you?" she said, on the verge of crying. "Can't you get it through your skull that you're not worthless? I don't care how you were created or how wounded you supposedly are or who you look like. All I want is you and all I want is for you to be happy and be confident and not think you're second best or some consolation prize because you're not, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Rose, I really am. I'll try not to think that way in future," he said softly.

"Well, I'm sorry I said to the other Doctor that you're not him. That was callous of me to say that right in front of you and I really am sorry. I was just in shock at the time and I was trying to keep him from going and no, it's not because I was trying to get rid of you. If you must know I wanted both of you."

She giggled when the Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Both of us?" he said with amusement as she laughed harder.

"Well, what girl wouldn't want two of the man she loves. One for the bed and one for the bath."

The Doctor gave her an odd look as she sniggered.

"And which one of us was going to be consigned to the bath, Rose Tyler?" he said as Rose put her hand over her mouth to keep her laughter in. "And what does that even mean, one for shagging, one for bathing with, is that it?"

"Um, yeah, sorta."

"What does "sorta" mean?" he said as Rose put her head down on the table and laughed. "Okay, this conversation has taken a very odd turn. First it was, are you happy and now we're talking about you having me and my counterpart all to yourself and making one of us sleep in the bath. Well, for your sake, Rose Tyler, better not be me in the bath or I'm leaving this odd relationship you're planning to have."

Rose sobered up and smiled as she took his hand.

"If you don't want to reconcile with the Doctor, I understand, but I think for your sake and your peace of mind, it would be best if you sat down and talked things out so you can forgive and forget and move on with your life."

The Doctor munched on a chip while he considered that.

"If I do this…I'm not sleeping in the bath, he is," he said while she giggled.

"Deal. You get the bed, he gets the bath," she said, squeezing his hand.

"Brrrrrrr, okay…just for the sheer morbid curiosity of it, I'll try to see if the TARDIS will contact him and…if he agrees to actually see us, which I'm not entirely sure he will, I'll sit down with him and tell him all about your barmy idea for making us into a male harem. Okay?"

"Okay."

Rose smiled and kissed his lips.

"And no matter what happens, I will stay with you."

"Oh, I know that, Miss One For The Bed, One For The Bath," he said, rolling his eyes as she laughed.

He shook his head and chuckled.

"Rose, you have the uncanny ability to get me to agree to do things I would never dream of doing on my own," he said before he picked up another chip and popped it in his mouth.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Walking down the pavement, the Doctor looked at the Christmas decorations when he got the feeling that something was wrong and blinked. In the back of his mind, he swore he felt someone trying to contact him and closed his eyes. Reaching out with his mind, he tried to make contact with whoever it was but felt nothing and opened his eyes.

"Must have imagined it," he said softly as he walked on when he saw some children singing Christmas carols near the London Eye and he stood in front of what looked like a bronze statue.

"Mind moving, Mate, I can't see my kid," a voice said behind him as he turned then looked at the statue, arching an eyebrow.

"Nah, statues can't talk. Well, there is a race of rock people and they talk but that's neither here or there," he said softly when the statue's eyes moved and he jumped.

"I said move," the man said and the Doctor took a step to the right.

"Oh, I get it. You're a performance artist. Very good," the Doctor whispered and the man barely nodded. "So, which one's is yours?"

"The little blonde, first row, second to the left," the man said and the Doctor looked the little girl in the red jacket and pink hat with draw strings dangled down the front of the jacket.

"Ah, she's really good," the Doctor said with a nod and they listened to the children singing. After the children were done singing, the people gathered around them clapped and the children did a bow. The teacher led the children away when they walked toward the Doctor and the little girl moved closer to the man.

"Did you like it, Daddy," she whispered and the man smiled. The Doctor smiled as well then walked off when he looked up at the London Eye and stood in the queue. After paying, he walked toward one of the seats and sat down. He felt a slight tug as the ride car he was in started moving and he looked out of the glass. His eyes went wide when he saw the clone and Rose walking by and he stood up, placing his hands against the glass.

"No, it can't be," he whispered as they vanished in the crowd and sighed, knowing that it would be an hour before the car went all the way around. Sitting down, he closed his eyes while trying to figure if he really saw them or not and a single tear trickled down his cheek.

* * *

"Right, just so we're straight, we'll go back to the TARDIS and see if she can contact you-know-who. Though, honestly, I have doubts that he'll want to talk to us," the Doctor said while they walked down the pavement and Rose nodded.

"I just want you to keep an open mind about all this," she said.

"Rose, I'm not the one who's closed minded. He tossed me out of the TARDIS not the other way around."

"I know that. Blimey, maybe we should go see Jack. He could help us find the Doctor."

"We don't even know if this is the right Earth. There might not be a Jack or Torchwood."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said as they went around the corner but didn't notice that they were being followed as Lucy walked faster down the pavement.

"What are you and that chav up to, Doctor?" she whispered when she walked around the corner then stopped when she saw that the Doctor and Rose were gone. "Where the hell did they go?"

* * *

The doors opened while the Doctor and Rose walked inside the control room and he took the knit cap off, placing it on the hat rack near the door. Smoothing his hair down, he took the parka off than hung it up and placed the gloves in the pockets.

"Ah, much better!" he said as Rose smiled at him and took the parka off, hanging it up. She watched while he walked to the console and reached into the pocket of his jacket. Frowning, he realized that he didn't have his glasses when they appeared on the console and he smiled, picking them up.

"Oooooooo, brainy specs," she said, walking closer and he turned, looking at her.

"Brainy specs?" he asked.

"That's what I used to call them. He usually put them on when he was working on something or was going to go off on one of his rambles."

"Then I won't put them on," he said as he placed them on the console but she picked them back up and gently bent his head forward, placed them on him.

"There, now you look all brainy," she said and he blinked.

"You think?" he asked, pushing the glasses up a bit with his finger.

"Oh, yes, very brainy!" she said with a smile and he smiled back.

"Right, let's see if I can't find him," he said as he started pushing the buttons and looked at the screen. After making a few adjustments, he looked at the screen again then stood back, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, we're most definitely in our original universe."

"You found him?"

"No, I found something just as good. I found his TARDIS," he said then frowned when he saw the look in her eyes. "You're glad, eh?"

"Well, yeah. If it's here then he is. Where is it?"

"It's a few blocks from here," he said and she walked to the hat rack. Turning, she watched him sit down on the jump seat and fold his arms over his stomach.

"Aren't you coming?"

"I can't," he said and she walked to the jump seat, sitting next to him.

"But I thought you wanted to do this."

"I do. I guess that I'm scared. What if he rejects me again? What if he takes you and leaves me here? What if…"

"Look, we can play the What If game all day but it doesn't change the fact that we have to talk to him," she said as she stroked his hair and he sighed, nodding.

"Then I guess we better get going," he said as he stood up and held his hand out. Taking his hand, she stood up when he looked at the parkas and smiled, rolling his eyes. "Blimey, I wish we had landed during the summer." She gently smacked his arm as they walked to the hat rack and she helped him get dressed.

* * *

Lucy was starting to get bored and had gone into a small café while she sat near the window and sipped on the coffee. She had ordered something to eat and she watched the people going by, hoping the Doctor and Rose walked by. Her eyes went wide when she saw the clone and Rose walking by when she place some money on the table and took the steak knife she was using with her. They walked in front of her while they headed for the London Eye and she held the handle of the steak knife tightly in her hand. Rose had changed into a tan jacket and scarf as she laughed at something the clone had said and he shrugged. Moving closer, Lucy placed the tip of the steak knife against Rose's back as she gasped and the Doctor turned, looking at Lucy.

"Lucy?" he whispered and she smiled at him.

"Hello, Doctor," she said.

"Doctor, who is she?" Rose asked then winced when Lucy dug the tip of the steak knife deeper into her back.

"My name is Lucy Saxon," Lucy growled in her ear and the clone felt his heart slamming in his chest.

"Lucy, let her go," he said and Lucy looked at him with a stunned look on her face.

"But we just met," she said and Rose felt the tip of the steak knife biting into her back.

"Please, just leave her alone and I'll do whatever you want," the Doctor said.

"Fuck, Harry was right, you are a whimp," she said and Rose frowned.

"Who's Harry?" she asked. The clone looked at the people going by but Lucy was too close to Rose that no one saw the steak knife and Lucy smiled, breathing hard and fast in her ear.

"Harry was my husband," Lucy said and Rose slightly nodded.

"Ah, where is he?" she asked then winced as Lucy jabbed the end of the steak knife into her back.

"He's dead because of him!" Lucy growled and looked at the clone.

"_Hold on, she thinks I'm the Doctor," _he thought and balled his hands into fists.

"Lucy, I need you to calm down and let Rose go," he said and Lucy laughed.

"Oh, you're the Rose he would cry for in the middle of the night," she said and Rose looked at the clone.

"Her husband was really an old enemy of the…of mine. He was called the Master and he was totally insane," the Doctor said and Lucy glared at him.

"Harry wasn't insane! He was a genius!" she shouted and he hushed her.

"He butchered those colonists and turned them into the Toclafane!"

"No, he didn't. They volunteered!"

"He killed nearly all life on this planet!"

"They deserved it!"

"You sick bitch! He tortured and killed Jack for the hell of it!"

"He did what to Jack?" Rose asked and Lucy pulled on her hair, making her swear.

"Oh, come off it. He can't die!" Lucy said.

"Will you keep it down?" the Doctor whispered, looking at the people going by.

"Maybe we should finish this discussion somewhere else," Lucy agreed then poked Rose in the back with the steak knife and Rose gasped. "Move it, Blondie."

"Are you sure your name is Cassandra?" Rose asked, making the clone smile and Lucy growled.

"Move!" she shouted as they walked down the pavement and she looked at the Doctor. "Try anything and she'll die, do you understand?"

The clone nodded as he slid his hand over Rose's hand and gently wrapped his fingers around hers.

* * *

The ride car door slammed open as the Doctor ran down the stairs and looked one way then the other. He had seen everything as he tried to remember which direction Lucy, he clone and Rose went then sank to the ground and arched his head back, screaming.

* * *

The car pulled up to the two store white brick building and SAXON PROCESSING was painted in black letters on the front of the building. The door open as Lucy looked at the building and smiled. Harry had bought the building, as well as others, as legitimate businesses but he also did some illegitimate businesses as well. She knew that this building was used as a slaughter house but it was also a secret genetic research center and she smiled, looking inside the car.

"Get out," she said as the doors opened and the Doctor and Rose got out of the car. Lucy quickly walked to Rose when she placed the steak knife against Rose's back and the Doctor glared at her. "Now, now, Doctor, don't do anything rash."

"Let her go, Lucy," he said with sad eyes and she rolled her eyes.

"No, now move!" she said and Rose winced. Sighing, he took Rose's hand as they headed for the building and Lucy looked at the keypad near the door. "Right, press the seven key three times."

The Doctor nodded as he pushed the buttons and the keypad beeped.

"Now open the door."

He placed his hand on the door handle when he opened the door and they walked inside. Keeping the point of the steak knife against Rose's back, Lucy flipped the light switch and smiled as the lights flickered on. The walls were stark white and the machinery was silent and showed signs of neglect. The windows were tinted black as the sunlight barely shone through the glass and the smell of rotting meat and blood filled the air.

"That way!" she said as she pointed to the door at the back of the room and they walked along the machinery, heading for the door. FREEZING UNIT TWO was painted over the door as they glanced at each other and Lucy smiled. They stood in front of the door when she poked Rose with the steak knife and the clone growled. "Press three sevens on the keypad."

The Doctor pushed the buttons when the keypad beeped and the door hissed open a crack.

"Open the door."

He opened the door when she shoved them inside and slammed the door shut. She pulled back the little slot in the door and looked at them from behind the glass. She pushed the button to the intercom as they looked at her and the Doctor wrapped his arms around Rose.

"Harry told me all about Time Lords and regeneration, y'know."

"Then why didn't he regenerate after you shot him?" he asked.

"She shot him?" Rose asked and he nodded.

"He told me to shoot him if he was captured," Lucy shouted. "He just didn't think I would."

"Can you say that again? I didn't hear that last bit."

"HE DIDN'T THINK I'D DO IT!"

"By the look on his face, I don't think he did either," the Doctor said with a smile.

"That's not funny! You took him away from me!"

"Bullshit!"

"You did! So I am going to take HER away from you!" she shouted and the clone looked at Rose. The thought of losing Rose made his heart slam inside his chest so hard that it hurt and he held her against him.

"Hold on, if you just want to kill me then why is he in here?" Rose asked.

"I need him to die so I can have his body," Lucy said and they looked at each other.

"Why?"

"Harry had all sorts of back up plans. One of them was to store his mind into this!" Lucy said when she held up the ring she had taken out of her purse and they looked at it.

"Of course, he downloaded his mind into it like the Doctor did when he had to turn human," he whispered in Rose's ear and she blinked. "I'll explain later."

"And he needs a body to take over so he can live again?" the clone asked.

"Yes, and who better than the Doctor to act as a replacement for the body you burned!" Lucy said then turned the intercom off and looked at the screen. She typed on the keypad as the light came on and the screen showed the temperature dropping inside the other room. She walked away as she smiled and the Master's laughter echoed in her head.

* * *

The doors slammed open as the Doctor ran up the ramp and headed for the console. He ignored the TARDIS as she asked what was wrong as he ran around the console, pushing buttons and typing on the keyboards, and his hearts slammed inside his chests. He swore to himself in Gallifreyan as he pounded the console then looked up at the ceiling, tears rolling down his face.

"Rassilon, if you ever cared for me, don't do this!" he shouted and the TARDIS asked what was wrong. "Rose and my clone are here. I don't know how. They are here and Lucy Saxon has them! Yes, the Master's wife! No, he isn't back. I burned his body, remember? There is NO way he could…Yes, I know he survived being burned alive before. No, I don't know where she took them or what she wants with them. Shut up so I can find them! Calm down?! How can I calm down when all I can think about is what sick things Lucy could be doing to them right now?! Shit, I should have never gotten on that bloody ride! I went on the London Eye. Yes, is it a nice ride but…Never mind! I need to find them! Turn around? Why do you want me to turn around?"

A light shined down on the jump seat when he looked at it and she explained that she could help boost his psychic connect he had with his clone and he frowned.

"I don't have…" he said when she gently shoved him toward the jump seat and he sighed, sitting down. He closed his eyes as she entered his mind and he did a silent prayer that he would be able to find them before it was too late.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The clone Doctor watched in anguish as the woman he loved shivered and shook. With each passing second the temperature was dropping and he knew it wouldn't be much longer until she was dead. He knew if he didn't do something fast, she would freeze to death before his eyes. He had to keep her warm while he figured a way out so he took off his warm winter coat, his scarf hat and mittens, his trench coat and suit jacket and started to put them on her.

"No, Doctor, you need these. You'll freeze."

"I don't care. You're all that matters to me now. As long as you're safe, I don't mind the cold," he said.

The cold felt like daggers against his skin and with every second it was growing more intense but he ignored it. His Rose must survive at all costs. He knew that if she escaped and he died, she would still be able to locate the Doctor and be with him. He knew now that fate had brought her back in order to be with him, so he must die in order for her to be free to be with the one she truly loved. Stoically, he finished dressing her and kissed her frigid lips, hoping that a miracle would occur before it was too late for her.

Despite Rose's pleas to put one of the coats or jacket back on, he ignored it and the cold that was numbing his skin, knowing that his sacrifice would not only ensure her safety but her happiness with the real Doctor. Ignoring everything, he went to the door and tried to hide his shivering and chattering teeth as he tried to figure a way out.

______________

The Doctor finished absorbing the light. As it faded, he paused a moment and smiled when he felt his clone's mind in his own. Hungrily he drank in the sensation of another mind in his own again before he forced himself to rise from the jump seat and concentrate.

_Doctor, where are you? It's me, your counterpart; I know you and Rose are with Lucy, but where did she take you?_ He thought to him.

________________

"Doctor, please," Rose said weakly as she lay against the wall. "Please put on a coat. Your skin is turning blue."

"In a minute, Rose," the clone Doctor said distractedly as he tried to find any sort of vent or opening they could use to get out.

He cursed and slammed his hand against the icy door when he found nothing.

"No, it can't end this way, not for Rose," he said softly.

_Doctor, where are you? It's me, your counterpart; I know you and Rose are with Lucy, but where did she take you?_

The clone Doctor gasped when he felt his counterpart thinking to him. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he realized that the universe was giving Rose a chance. It truly was fate that she be with him again. He knew now what he had to do, die so she could live and be with him. Continuing to ignore Rose's pleas, he thought to the Doctor and told him where he was and how to find them. Then, after he had completed that, he walked back over to Rose and sank down beside her, content that he had finally fulfilled his purpose in life and now he would die and be at peace. Ignoring Rose, he shut his eyes, barely feeling the trench coat as Rose draped it over his body. Instead, comforted by the fact that the Doctor was coming for Rose, he surrendered himself to his destiny and waited for the cold to claim his body.

_____________

The Doctor ran like a man possessed, his mind only on one thing, finding Rose and his clone and saving them from an icy death. On the way there, he noticed a bus stopping and pulling out his psychic paper, he got on, scanned his paper against the scanner and sat down in the very front as the bus pulled away from the stop. It was about five miles to the slaughterhouse but the Doctor was frustrated when the bus would slow down every couple of minutes to pick up more passengers. After twenty minutes, they finally reached the stop closest to the slaughterhouse and with lightening speed; he hurried off the bus and took off across the road, nearly getting run over in the process. He ignored the angry yells and honking horns as his feet hit the pavement and he sprinted towards his destination, his hearts racing with fear as he felt his clone's mind getting weaker with each passing second.

_________________

Rose shivered violently as she huddled near the clone Doctor's body. For the past fifteen minutes, his eyes had been closed and if it hadn't been for the puffs of breath coming from his nose, she would have thought he was dead. She tried to speak to him, to reassure him that help was coming but he refused to speak to her. Her body was now completely numb, the exposed parts of her skin was a terrifying blue color, but now she was beginning to feel a soothing warmth all over her body and a feeling of peace and calm. She put her icy cold hand against the Doctor's cheek and kissed it.

"I love you." She said in a quaking voice.

"I love you too, Rose," the Doctor murmured as if in a dream. "Don't worry, he's coming and soon you'll be safe in his arms again. Don't worry about me any longer."

"W…what d'ya mean?"

A beatific smile spread across his pale blue face.

"The Doctor is coming to save you," he said in a soft, dreamy voice. "You'll be with him soon, Rose. Don't be afraid. Events are being corrected now; fate is bringing you back together. Forget me now."

"N…no, don't give up, Doctor, please," Rose begged. "I love you."

"I love you too, Rose," the Doctor said in a barely audible voice. "It's because I love you that I go willingly to my death. I've served my purpose now."

Tears streamed down Rose's cheeks and froze almost as soon as they left her eyes.

"No, don't die!" she rasped out as she shook him. "Don't go to sleep. Stay with me. Please wake up. I love you too."

The Doctor didn't say anything and Rose, near hysterical, buried her face in his chest and wept.

* * *

The Doctor kicked open the door of the slaughterhouse. Holding his screwdriver at the ready, he ran through the building in search of the freezer the clone told him they were in. He didn't see Lucy anywhere and snorted at that.

"Coward," he muttered to himself. "Can't even stay around to watch your handiwork."

He ran through the building, panicking when he realized he could barely feel the clone's mind in his own now. He found the freezer they were in and with a trembling hand, used his screwdriver to open it. To his immense relief, the door unlocked and he threw it open. His hearts nearly stopped beating in his chest when he saw both of them near the door, pale and unmoving. He ran to Rose, flung himself down and gathered her into his arms. He kissed her frigid cheek, trying to keep calm despite the fact that she didn't acknowledge his presence.

"I'm here, Rose, everything will be alright now," he whispered as he stood up with her in his arms.

He carried her outside and lay her down on the ground several feet from the open door. Then he turned and went back inside. The Doctor lay there, barely alive, his skin blue, his breathing shallow and his heart was barely beating. The Doctor's hearts broke as he gathered his clone into his arms.

"Forgive me, my brother, for what I've done," he murmured to him as he stood up and hurried outside with him.

He lay him down beside Rose and his hearts leapt with joy when he noticed that the warmer air was beginning to revive his beloved. He knelt down beside her.

"Rose? Rose, it's me. The Doctor. Your original Doctor, I'm here, you're safe now," he babbled as he stroked her cheek.

Rose opened her eyes slightly but her vision remained unfocused.

"The other Doctor, where is he?" she rasped.

"Beside you, he's safe. I'm going to use a special remote control to summon my TARDIS here and then I'll take care of you both, I promise."

"Don't hate him," Rose rasped.

He smiled sadly and kissed her forehead.

"I won't. Not anymore," he whispered. "Hold on, I'll summon the TARDIS here and…"

"What the hell?"

The Doctor jerked his head around and saw Lucy standing in the open door to the room. He stood up, rage boiling in his brain as Lucy stared at him in stunned silence. She looked at him, then at the clone and back at him. Her eyes widened when the Doctor suddenly let out an animalistic yell of rage that froze her to the spot with shock and fear. In two heartbeats he was across the room and had her by her shirt. Lucy grunted when he lifted her up off the ground and slammed her into the wall beside the door. The Doctor, his mind clouded by rage, began to slam her into the wall repeatedly and it was only with the realization that she was unconscious and he was killing her that he finally found the will to stop and let her slump to the floor.

"I will deal with you presently," he said between gritted teeth as he reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out his Stattenheim remote control. He activated it and stood and watched while his TARDIS materialized in front of him. Putting the remote back in his pocket, he hurried over to Rose and his clone so he could get them inside and into the med bay.

____________

After putting them in the med bay and Lucy in one of the empty cells, he ran back, took the TARDIS into the vortex and sprinted back to the med bay. Rose was still semi-conscious so he focused on his counterpart first, working like a madman to get him stabilized while Rose watched silently from a nearby bed. She was being warmed under three heavy duvets and was slowly regaining consciousness while the Doctor tried to save the life of his clone who had all but given up. He had put him into a warming suit, a body suit that provided a constant temperature to warm his body and then put an IV drip into the back of his left hand. He used the drip to inject some medicine into his veins that would help to counteract any frostbite he may have received. When he was done with that, he walked over with another syringe and did the same to Rose.

"Will he be alright?" Rose said softly as he injected the medicine into her.

"He will if I can help it," the Doctor said in a determined voice.

Once he was through, he kissed Rose's forehead and went back to work on his clone, running scans and doing whatever was necessary to make sure he lived while Rose watched and rested. Finally, he felt confident enough to step back and hold off on the stabilizing methods, feeling both a steady pulse and his double's mind strongly in his own. Keeping the warming suit on his body, he walked over, pulled back the covers beside Rose, walked over to his clone, gathered him into his arms and placed him beside Rose. Rose turned and snuggled against him as he covered them both up. The Doctor smiled at that and laid his hand against Rose's head before he straightened back up.

"I'll be in the console room if you need me," he said, putting a call light button near her. "Push the button and the light will activate on my console."

"Doctor…"

"Yes?"

Rose looked at the clone who was breathing normally as he slept beside her.

"He said that he wanted to die," Rose said softly as she stroked his cheek. "Said that was his purpose in life, to die so we could be together again."

The Doctor felt his hearts breaking and he laid his hand on top of his clone's head.

"Well, wouldn't be the first time I was wrong," he quipped, smiling at the similar smile that spread over Rose's face.

He kissed her cheek and then he kissed his clone's forehead before he left the room. Rose snuggled close to the clone Doctor, whispered her love for him in his ear and then with a sigh, drifted off to sleep.

______________

After a few hours, the Doctor came back inside to check on them. Rose had drifted off to sleep but the clone was awake and staring numbly at the wall beside him. The Doctor came around to his side and smiled warmly at him when the clone stared at him in confusion.

_Can you hear me?_ He thought to him.

The clone frowned and nodded.

_I want to speak to you this way. I don't want to disturb Rose. We need to talk, you and I._

_Why did you save me? _The clone thought back. _I'm not s'posed to be here. I'm s'posed to be dead so you can have Rose again. Please kill me so she can be with you. Just tell Rose that there were complications and I didn't make it. She doesn't need to know. Please, It's not fair that she should suffer for my crimes._

_But it's not fair to you either. I overreacted and did something I never should have done._

_But it's corrected now. Fate has worked itself out, don't you see? Rose has come back to you, all you need to do is kill me and things'll be as they were before._

The Doctor's hearts ached at that and he shook his head.

_I won't do that. Not to you._

_But I have no purpose in life._

_Yes, you do. You are meant to be here, to help protect the universe._

_But I'm weak, frail, I have a human body. _

_So does Rose, but that doesn't seem to slow down the Defender of the Earth, does it? _

The clone considered that for a moment and then nodded.

_Then send me back, send me somewhere where I'll be out of the way forever. Rose belongs with you, not with me._

_No, I won't punish you. I refuse to send you into exile again. I was wrong the first time and two wrongs don't make a right. _

_Then what will become of me?_

The Doctor smiled.

_Stay with us. Be with us. Travel with us. _

_And watch you and Rose be together? _He thought sadly.

_Rose loves us both. I think we can try to work something out, _he thought back as he laid his hand on his clone's head. _You are needed here though so please stop thinking you're worthless or asking me to kill you. If I wanted to kill you, I would have left you in that freezer and taken Rose with me. Rose would be devastated if you did die, even if I did tell her a lie and say I couldn't save you. And if she found out I was lying, she'd never forgive me. _

_Lucy? Where is she?_

The Doctor's face darkened.

_She's in a cell and will be dealt with in due time. I want to make sure you both are safe before that happens. In the meantime, I want you to rest with Rose and get your strength back. I told Rose I'd be in the console room and if you need me, press the call light and I'll come, that means both of you. I forgive you for what you did to the daleks if you can forgive me for what I did to you._

The clone thought that over and smiled as he nodded.

_I forgive you, _he thought.

_Good. I'm glad, now rest. You're safe now, both of you. Just concentrate on getting your strength back._

_Thank you. Thank you for everything, _the clone thought.

The Doctor smiled and kissed his forehead.

_Thank you for forgiving me and giving me a second chance, _the Doctor thought to him._ Now get some sleep, my brother._

Tears welled up in the clone's eyes when he heard the Doctor call him that. The Doctor gave him one more kiss on the forehead and laid his hand on his double's head before he got up and left the room. The clone watched him go, then his eyes settled on Rose and he smiled and kissed her forehead before he closed his eyes and surrendered himself to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Lucy paced the cell as she grumbled to herself then shivered when she thought about the Doctor. She had only seen hatred in Harry's eyes but what she saw in the Doctor's eyes was ten times worse. There was nothing there but pure rage and anger.

"Lucy," the Doctor said, making her jump and she turned to face him. The only thing between them was a force barrier and she clenched her jaw, walking toward the force barrier.

"So, what happened to the popsicles?" she asked then backed up when his eyes went black.

"Tell me something," he said with a growl to his voice and she shivered. "Why?"

"Why?"

"Why did you kill him?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"Why did you kill the Master?"

"I didn't kill him. You did."

"No, I didn't. You see, after the Time War, I thought I was the last of my kind, the last of the Time Lords. I dreaded the idea of being alone for the rest of eternity then an old friend told me that I wasn't alone. I thought he meant Martha but that's not who he was talking about. He was talking about the Master. When I found out that he has survived the war, I was scared shitless but thrilled at the same time. The one Time Lord to survive was not only my best friend but my worst enemy and I was torn with what to do. I wanted to stop him, yeah, but I also wanted to help him."

"Shit, Harry was right about you. You are such a wimp. You know what he really thought of you? He said that you were nothing more than a clingy shit that he had the displeasure of knowing. He may have loved you but he also hated you," she said and he blinked, clenching his jaw. She saw pain in his eyes as she placed her hands against the force barrier and he looked at the floor. "He also said that you were terrible in bed."

"We never…I never…" he stuttered and she laughed.

"Oh, please, I know that he raped you while you were old and wrinkly. That's how he was. A sick bastard that liked to force himself on those he said he loved. Trust me, I know of what I speak. But, in all honesty, I love him and I always will. Now, as for why I was going to turn that chav and…Who was that?"

"He's my clone. No, change that. He is my brother."

"Cloning? Now there is something I should try once I get out of here," she said as she started pacing again and he tilted his head to one side.

"What are you on about?" he asked.

"Well, it's the reason I stuck him in the freezer. I was going to use him, uh, you as a new body for Harry."

"What?"

"Once he was dead, once you were dead, I was going to revive the body and place Harry's mind into it."

"How were you going to do that?"

"With this!" she said when she reached into her pocket and removed the ring. He looked at the Gallifreyan markings on the top of ring and sighed. He had seen marks similar to them on the fob watch he used to hold his mind when he had to become John Smith and she closed her fingers around the ring. "I can hear him talking to me from inside the ring, y'know."

"Lucy, you can't let him out. You know as well as I how dangerous he is. Give me the ring," he said as she laughed and tossed the ring into the air, catching it.

"Bite me, Spaceman," she said when a bolt of energy hit her shoulder and she screamed, dropping the ring to the floor. "You bastard, I'll kill you for that!"

A metal arm came from the floor when it grabbed the ring then zipped back into the wall. She dived for the ring then swore, pounding the floor. The Doctor whistled as she looked at him and the metal arm appeared next to him, dropping the ring into the clear plastic box he had in his right hand. He snapped the lid shut as she stood up and he sighed.

"Give it back!"

"Nah, but I know someone who might want to get his hands on this," he said as she ran to the force barrier and placed her hands against it.

"What are you going to do with me?" she asked and he heard the fear in her voice.

"Seeing that it's Christmas, I'm going to give you what you deserve," he said then walked away and she watched him going down the hallway.

"Doctor, what do you mean? Doctor?!" she shouted as he walked around the corner and she sunk to the floor, placing her face in her hands and sobbed.

* * *

Lucy moaned when she opened her eyes and looked up at Nurse Waynewright. She sweetly smiled at Lucy when Lucy realized that she was strapped down on the gurney and tried to get loose.

"What the hell?!" she shouted as Nurse Waynewright hushed her and Lucy growled.

"Now, Lucy, it's going to be alright," she said softly.

"What's going on? Where's the Doctor?"

"Oh, you will be seeing the doctor soon enough," Nurse Waynewright said when Lucy lifted her head and her eyes went wide. The doors opened as Lucy screamed then closed and LOBOTOMY ROOM was painted in black letters over the doors.

* * *

"_I say, don't you think he should be awake by now?"_

The clone moaned as he rolled onto his side and sweat rolled down his forehead.

"_Oi, leave him alone."_

He rolled onto his back as he sighed and licked his lips.

"_Yes, I agree. Let's leave the dear fellow alone, hm?"_

"_I agree. He needs rest."_

The doors opened when Rose walked inside the room and walked to the bed. A soft cloth appeared on the table near the bed when she picked it up and mopped the sweat from his brow, slightly smiling. She remembered doing the same thing with the Doctor after he had regenerated but she wasn't scared this time and the clone smiled.

"Rose?" he asked softly as she hushed him and lightly kissed his lips.

"Hello," she whispered and he half opened his eyes.

"Where is he?"

"He's in the control room. We just dropped Lucy off."

"He let her go?" he asked when she moved closer and whispered in his ear, making him open his eyes wide. "Blimey."

"He told me that he was feeling the Christmas spirit and decided to be…nice."

"Like he was with Son of Mine," he said, closing his eyes again.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Ask my…brother. Damn, it's nice to say that," he said and she kissed his lips. "Um, was there someone else in here?"

"No. Why?"

"Could have sworn I heard voices," he said as she checked the monitors and stroked his hair.

"Well, you are running a fever. Maybe you were hearing things."

"Guess so. Is it Christmas yet?"

"Not for a few more days. Now, be a good boy and go back to sleep."

"Only if you stay," he sighed then drifted off to sleep. She moved the blanket up a bit then kissed his lips, taking his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered as she looked at the screens and watched the light on the heart monitor going up and down.

* * *

(A few days later.)

The wheelchair moved down the hallway while Rose ruffled the top of his head and the clone sighed. Even though his fever had broken, they found out that his muscles had been affected by the cold but the Doctor assured them that it was only temporary. The Doctor had found a wheelchair in the storage room and the clone laughed when he gave him the blue dressing gown the Doctor wore after he regenerated. He heard the Christmas music playing when they came into the control room and his mouth dropped open after seeing Jack, Gwen, Rhys, Ianto, Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, Luke, K-9, Clyde and Rani standing next to the Doctor.

"Merry Christmas!" they said together and he laughed. The Doctor walked to him when he helped him stand up and hugged him, sending love into his mind.

"Merry Christmas, Brother," he whispered and the clone nodded. Helping him sit down, the Doctor wheeled him toward the tree as they started opening presents and the clone sighed. Sniffing, he looked at Rose as she smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Having a good time, yeah?" she asked and he nodded his head up and down. "Good. No more whinging about being useless or that you shouldn't be here, ok?"

"Nope, no more whinging," he said as he looked at the others when he felt an ache in his chest and blinked. His heart wasn't bothering him but he felt like something was missing and sighed. The Doctor noticed the worry in his brother's face when he walked to the wheelchair and knelt down next to it.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, um, can you do me a favor?" he asked then whispered in the Doctor's ear and the Doctor got a stunned look on his face. "Please, I need to see her."

"Yeah, so do I," he said with a smile and patted the top of his brother's hand. "Oh, rats, I think we're out of nibbles."

"I think you're right," the clone said, nodding.

"How about we go get some?" he asked and the clone nodded. "Great. Let's go get you dressed and we'll be off!"

They watched as the Doctor pushed the wheelchair out of the room when Jack walked to Rose and frowned, sipping on his beer.

"Why didn't he just tell the TARDIS to make more?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said as she frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "What are you two up to?"

* * *

After hearing someone ringing the doorbell over and over, Donna sighed while she walked to the door and opened it, looking into the cold, snowy night.

"Bloody kids, don't they know it's Christmas?" she grumbled then looked down, seeing the present sitting on the stoop. DONNA was written on the tag as she picked it up and looked around, trying to see who left it. Shrugging, she went back inside the house as she closed the door and the Doctor and his brother peeked out from behind the bushes. The Doctor had him all bundled up as he looked up at the Doctor and the Doctor nodded, pushing the wheelchair down the pavement.

Inside the house, Donna opened the present when she looked at the first addition Agatha Christie novel and she walked to the shelf where she kept her Agatha Christie books. It wasn't one that she had as she shrugged then sat on the couch, opening the book. She started reading when she thought she heard voices and looked at the window.

"Granddad, did you hear that?" she shouted as Wilf walked into the living room and looked at her.

"Hear what, Sweetie?" he asked.

"I dunno. Sounds like someone's out there," she said.

"Nope, didn't hear a thing, "he said when he walked to the window and saw the Doctor and his brother going by. The Doctor stopped long enough to nod at him as Wilf smiled and placed his hand against the glass.

"Merry Christmas, Lads," he whispered and the Doctor pushed the wheelchair down the pavement.

* * *

"Right, in bed with you," the Doctor said as he and Rose helped the clone into bed and Rose tucked the duvet around him.

"Aw, come on, I'm not tired," he said and the Doctor sat on the bed, taking his brother's wrist and checked his pulse.

"That's not what this tells me," he said, patting the clone's chest near his heart.

"Stupid single heart," he grumbled and Rose kissed his cheek. "Are the others staying?"

"Yep, going to take everyone on a winter holiday," the Doctor said with a smile.

"And if you want to join in the festivities, you going to have to listen to what he says," Rose said, wagging a finger at him.

"Ok, ok, I'll be good. Um, Rose, have you told him about the "one for the bed and one for the bath" thing yet?" he asked and the Doctor looked at her.

"What is he talking about?" he asked.

"Rose said that you and I are her little private harem."

"Really?!" he asked, arching an eyebrow and she glared at the clone.

"Yep, one of us is for the bed and one of us is for the bath. I'm the bed and you're the bath," the clone said then laughed.

"Rose Marion Tyler, I am shocked!" the Doctor said with a stunned look on his face.

"Can we talk about this later?" she said as the burn of the blush moving across her face made her look at the duvet. The Doctor lifted her chin when he kissed her lips and placed his forehead against hers.

"Rose Tyler, I…" he said when she pressed her fingers against his lips and shook her head.

"You don't' have to say it," she said as he removed her fingers and kissed her knuckles.

"Yes, I do. I love you," he said and she smiled.

"So do I!" the clone said and they giggled.

"I'll fight you for her."

"Bring it on, Skinny!"

"No, there will be no fighting over me!" she said, holding her hands up and they frowned.

"Aw, nuts, and I wanted a duel to the death!"

"So did I," the Doctor said.

"I said no!" she said and gave them a Jackie look, making them cringe.

"Well, I will leave you two to have some snuggle time and will have the TARDIS alert you when we land," the Doctor said then left the room and closed the door behind him. Lying down on the bed next to the clone, Rose placed her head on his chest and listened to his single heart thumping strong and steady in her ear. He wrapped an arm around her as she smiled and he kissed the top of her head.

"Y'know, we can't just call you "the clone" all the time. You need a name," she said while he looked at the ceiling and breathed softly in her ear.

"Hmmmmm, I think I got the perfect name," he said and she looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"Nicholas."

"Why?"

"Rose, think about it. When did the Doctor arrive on Earth after he regenerated?"

"It was Christmas Eve."

"And when was I, um, chopped off?" he asked, wiggling the fingers of his right hand at her.

"It was Christmas Day."

"He met Donna at Christmastime. He saved the royal family from a space cruiser crashing into the palace at Christmastime."

"So?"

"Who, besides Jesus, is associated with Christmas?"

"Um, Father Christmas?" she asked and he nodded.

"And he is known as…?"

"Saint…Nicholas! Oh, that's perfect!" she said and Nicholas smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Rose."

"Merry Christmas, Nicholas," she said as they closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The End.


End file.
